Mandia holds nerve in shoot-off for Nimes title

The recurve women’s final went the full distance – with a tiebreaker deciding the winner.

Claudia Mandia outlasted Korean first-time finalist Jin Yun in the recurve women’s gold medal match at the third stage of the Indoor Archery World Cup in Nimes, France, winning a shoot-off 10-9 to take the top spot on the podium.

Mandia settled in the middle of the match, posting consecutive sets of 30 points to take an advantage, and had an opportunity to seal it with her last arrow of regulation. She needed a 10, shot a nine, and the match went to the tiebreaker.

Mandia rallied after Jin put in a wide nine to the left and drilled the middle to successfully secure the medal.

“It was a great sensation. I shot the first three arrows [of the match] on the left because the light was very different than on the practice field. After I moved the sight it was okay,” said Claudia, whose brother Massimiliano is also an international recurve athlete.

“When I’m on the line, it’s just me alone. Me and my target.”

Claudia made her Olympic debut at Rio in 2016 having been on the Italian national archery team since 2006. A decade in the making, she said the Olympic experience was in itself a medal in her mind – and had given her the confidence and knowledge that she could achieve the very highest accolades in the sport.

The Italian recurve women’s team finished fourth in Rio.

Bronze in Nimes went to Britain’s Naomi Folkard, who only fell to Jin in the semifinals after knocking out the first- and eighth-seeded Koreans in Park Sehui – also the indoor world record holder – and Kim Eun Jung.

Folkard, who hinted at retiring from competition during her fourth consecutive Olympic Games in Rio, beat Randi Degn in four sets, 6-2.

It’s the second time in three years that Degn has finished fourth in Nimes.

The third stage of the 2016/17 Indoor Archery World Cup runs 20-22 January 2017 in Nimes, France.